


What You Won’t Forget

by Thunderfire69



Series: Tony Stark, a mentor? More like a father in disguise. [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5 + 1, Everybody seems to want to kill Peter, Hurt/Comfort, Infinity War Part One Compliant, It all ends up okay, I’m sorry this is how I deal with IW, Near-death Experiences, Other, Peter is always injured what am I saying, Sort Of, Thanos can burn in hell, Thanos more like Thotnos, Tony just wants to protect his Spidey-son, a fix-it, angsty, because it uses THAT scene, but not angsty, but not for good, but not really, cause I sure did, enjoy the fic, hope you cry, i can’t do that to you, i fix it it’s okay, injured peter, major infinity war spoilers, then actual death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 12:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14894582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderfire69/pseuds/Thunderfire69
Summary: All the times Peter wouldn’t forget.-OR-The five times Peter almost died and the one time he actually did (but then he came back cause I’m not that angsty).MAJOR INFINITY WAR SPOILERS!!!





	What You Won’t Forget

The first time Peter almost died was the battle with Toomes.

 

He remembers the crushing feeling of concrete and the metal structure of the building on his back.

 

He remembers the feeling of hopelessness, and how prominent and imminent his death felt.

 

He remembers feeling like his spine was being crushed.

 

He remembers the air being forced from his chest, making it harder and harder to breathe.

 

He also remembers lifting the building, managing to haul himself out.

 

But before any of that came the panic.

 

_ “Hey please! I’m down here! I’m down here! I’m stuck! I’m stuck. I can’t move. I can’t-” _

 

The moments of absolute terror, as his spine was crushed and the breath forced from his lungs, everything slowly growing numb from the pressure and pain.

 

And then he lifted it.

 

And he escaped.

 

And then he rushed off to fight Toomes again.

 

It wasn’t until later that it  _ really  _ hit him, that he really realised he could have died.

 

But he hadn’t died, and that’s what matters.

 

Of course, the memory haunted him.

 

Shadowed over his days.

 

Made some missions harder than others.

 

But he was fine.

 

He’d be okay.

 

As long as he kept going, he’d be fine.

  
  
  


The second time Peter almost died was in the middle of Queens, in some dark abandoned alleyway when some  _ idiot  _ with a gun decided to shoot him.

 

It started the same as every other crime-fighting venture of his, until the guy pulled out a gun.

 

“You let me take her money, and no one gets shot,” the masked man said gruffly, aiming the gun at the woman.

 

“If you’re going to shoot someone, shoot me!” Peter said in a desperate attempt to turn the man away from the woman. The criminal’s mouth, visible beneath his mask, twitched upwards at the corners.

 

“I will then.” 

 

Before Peter could blink, the man had spun around and fired. Pain bloomed outward from his stomach, but Peter refused to let this stop him.

 

He charged forward, yanking the gun from the guy’s hand with a web before webbing the criminal up.

 

“You’d better get out of here, Miss,” he said to the still-distressed victim.

 

Once she was gone, Peter shakily allowed himself to look at where the bullet had entered him. Blood stained his suit, slightly darker red than his Spider-Man gear, and there was no exit wound.

 

“Karen?”

 

“You appear to have been shot, Peter.” If AIs could feel emotions, Karen seemed concerned.

 

“Karen call M-Mr Stark,” Peter’s voice was shaky and quiet, his vision starting to darken.

 

“Peter, I swear to God-”

 

“Mr Stark, I think… I think I got shot.” That was the last thing Peter remembers before he blacked out.

 

He awoke, hour later, a bandage tight around his torso, in the Avengers’ Compound, a concerned Tony Stark at his side.

 

“You Alright, kid?”

 

“I feel… like I’ve been shot,” Peter murmured, half-asleep. Tony’s face visibly relaxed, though he looked like he wanted to tear Peter a new one, or at least punch the shit out of whoever did this.

 

“Yeah, being shot will do that to you.”

 

“How… how long was I out?” Peter groggily sat up.

 

“Only a few hours. Long enough to give me gray hairs though.”

 

“I didn’t think I was the reason you had gray hairs,” Peter shot back, but some of his words slurred with sleepiness.

 

“Oh, hah hah. Very funny,” Tony replied dryly. “You need to rest, kiddo.”

 

“Alright,” Peter replied tiredly, already sinking back into the pillows.

 

Before he fell asleep again, he was dimly aware of how close to death he’d been.

 

But he was alive. 

 

For now, at least.

  
  
  


The third time Peter almost died, he wasn’t even out as Spider-Man. 

 

He was actually trying to get to the LEGO store to buy something for Ned, as a sort of thank-you for everything he’d put up with and helped with in the past three months: the battle with Toomes at Homecoming, lots of rambling about his work in the lab with Tony Stark, a heap of mini-missions- the list was practically endless.

 

Of  _ course  _ on the way there someone was threatening people in the middle of a street with some weird sword thingy.

 

Of  _ course  _ Peter left his suit behind because he thought everything would be fine.

 

And of  _ course  _ Peter blocked a blow meant for a younger kid with his own body.

 

Luckily, Tony in his Iron Man suit showed up to help the police get the man under control.

 

Unfortunately, Peter was already bleeding from a nasty gash to his torso.

 

And then, to finish everything off, the man with the sword’s final act was to lash out with his sword at Peter one last time.

 

Effectively hitting his leg.

 

Yeah, this day was  _ not  _ going well for Peter.

 

Thanks to his Spidey-metabolism, the cuts were starting to heal over, but he still felt weak, and found it difficult to move without pain.

 

“Peter?” 

 

Peter was dimly aware of Tony stepping out of his suit to come over, dimly aware of him putting an arm around Peter to help support him.

 

“Stay with me. Stay with me buddy.”

 

Peter forced his eyes back open. “Mr Stark?”

 

“Yeah, I’m here.” Tony’s mouth quirked up a little at the corners as he added, “And I’ve told you- call me Tony.”

 

The two were slowly walking across the street, towards a car that Peter assumed had Happy waiting inside of.

 

“Okay,” Peter murmured. “Okay.”

 

“Almost there, kiddo, almost there,” Tony muttered, though Peter figured it was more to reassure himself than Peter.

 

“Tony?” Peter looked up at the billionaire with heavy, half-lidded eyes. “I think he tried to kill me.”

 

Peter felt Tony’s breath hitch, before the older man exhaled.

 

“Yeah, I think you’re right there, kid.” Peter barely picked up the shakiness of Tony’s voice, but it was there, buried beneath layers of fake calm.

 

“Where are... we going?” Peter’s breathing was growing heavier, and he just wanted to sit down and rest.

 

“Just over to the car, buddy. Then back to the compound, so Bruce can fix you up.” Tony gently guided the teen towards the car, reaching out to open it for the injured kid. Once the kid was seated, Tony moved around to the other side of the car, but instead of sitting in the passenger seat in the front like usual, he slid in next to Peter.

 

“The Avengers Compound?” Happy asked, foot poised above the accelerator.

 

“Avengers Compound,” Tony confirmed. Happy started to drive, and only moments later Peter was weakly stretching one arm towards the billionaire beside him.

 

“To...ny…” he murmured, seeming to exhaust himself just from the saying the one word.

 

“I’m here, buddy, I’m here.” Tony gently settled the boy’s head onto his lap, carding his fingers through the kid’s hair. “I’m here.”

 

The drive to the compound was normally made in half an hour.

 

Happy cut it down to ten minutes.

 

The last memory Peter has of that day is Tony staying by his side as Bruce stitched up the cuts, the feeling of Tony’s hands carding gently through his hair.

  
  
  


The fourth time Peter almost died, he was fighting some psycho who seemed to love the water.

 

Peter remembers taunting the criminal.

 

“Hey! Water-Boy! How long can you hold your breath? Two seconds?”

 

“Longer than you,” the criminal growled back before leaping at Peter, who didn’t have enough time to dodge.

 

The two tumbled into the water, the villain grinning as he pushed Peter downwards. The young superhero struggled under his grip, slowly growing desperate for air.

 

After a few more moments, Peter’s movements grew weaker, and his attempts to struggle stopped, in the hopes that he could somehow fool this man into thinking he was drowned and dead.

 

But no. The criminal held him under for another full minute- obviously making sure he was dead.

 

By then, Peter  _ had  _ blacked out completely, and when he was released, he wasn’t swimming to the surface, and he wasn’t taking great gulps of air.

 

Instead, he slowly drifted upwards, limp and lifeless.

 

The next thing Peter knew, he was coughing up water, trembling and cold, a firm hand resting on his shoulder.

 

“You’re alright, kiddo. You’re alright.” 

 

He was gently helped to sit up, and his eyesight finally focused enough for him to realise it was Tony sitting beside him.

 

He also noted that the billionaire’s hands were shaking.

 

“I-I-” Peter tried to form coherent sentences.

 

“You’re okay, Pete.” Tony kept his hand on Peter’s shoulder, seeming less and less shaky as time passed.

 

_ He was okay. _

  
  
  


The fifth time Peter almost died, he was rehearsing for the school musical.

 

Yeah, you read that right; Peter Parker, the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, had signed up for a school musical.

 

And then in bursts some idiotic guy with oddly high-tech weapons to start trying to destroy the place.

 

And he was blocking the only way to Peter’s Spidey-suit.

 

The teachers were trying to get kids out, and Peter was looking around for something he could use as a shield or a weapon.

 

Ned voiced what everyone was thinking, being as helpful as ever; “Why in the name of  _ Jesus  _ are you attacking a school drama club?”

 

Of course, this just enraged the criminal, who then fired his weapon at Ned.

 

And typically, Peter pushed Ned out of the way, resulting in him getting hit instead.

 

After that, the criminal seemed to have bolted, though that was probably because ?Iron Man had burst in seconds later.

 

“Shit,” Tony swore, his face-plate lifting. “Better get you to the compound, kiddo.”

 

“Why am I always getting injured?” Peter complained, the wound not seeming to have affected him too badly.

 

“Not sure, kid,” Tony replied as he helped the kid up. “Giving me gray hairs though.”

 

Peter let out a small laugh, before the two began to exit the building. Only if you looked close enough, you’d realise that every few moments, Tony’s hand would gravitate towards Peter before falling back to his side, like he was a worried parent but too afraid to show affection.

  
  


When Peter actually died, he wasn’t at home, he wasn’t old and gray. Heck, he hadn’t even graduated from high school.

 

Nope. He was on some strange planet in outer-space, with a bunch of other heroes he’d just met and Mr Stark.

 

They’d just battled Thanos, and then he’d gotten the time stone.

 

And then people started disappearing, and fading into dust.

 

That’s when Peter felt it.

 

A tingling feeling, spreading from his chest into his limbs, and it wasn’t a good feeling.

 

“Mr Stark? I don’t feel so good…” 

 

“You Alright?”

 

“I don’t… I don’t know what’s happening.” Peter stumbled forward to clutch desperately onto Tony, who had to catch the boy to stop him from falling.

 

“Save me, save me,” Peter’s almost silent plea met the billionaire’s ears, who almost froze up.

 

“I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go, sir please I don’t want to go!”

 

The weight of the rapidly fading boy forced Tony to lower him onto the ground, and the older man knelt beside him, cradling the kid.

 

“I’m sorry,” Peter muttered, and then he was gone, faded into nothing.

 

Peter was dimly aware of floating around in some odd, orange-yellow place, alone with his thoughts, for some time.

 

He was also dimly aware of the fact that this was the first time he’d hugged Tony Stark- and it was probably his last.

 

At least, he thought that, until he felt himself being reformed out of ash and felt hands on his shoulders, then he was gently pulled up into a sitting position; his eyes focused to see he was sitting in the middle of a street, Tony Stark holding him upright.

 

“You’re okay, kid. You’re back.” 

 

Suddenly Peter found himself desperately reaching for his mentor, feeling panic well up in him.

 

“Kid, calm down, I’m here. Pete, calm down, calm down.” Tony gently and carefully brought the teenager into a hug. Almost immediately, Peter’s arms were around his mentor, and he was burying his face in Tony’s shoulder. 

 

“It’s okay, Pete. I got you.” Tony’s hands rubbed gentle circles in the teen’s back. “I got you.”

 

“I thought-” Peter’s breath hitched. “I thought I wouldn’t see you again.”

 

“You’re okay. You’re safe.” 

 

Finally, Peter relaxed, feeling safe and at home in the arms of his mentor.

 

“Did you… did you get that stupid purple space grape?” Peter asked after a few moments of silence.

 

“Yeah.” A small smile played on Tony’s face at the way Peter described Thanos. “Yeah, we did. Also, I thought I told you to start calling me Tony.”

 

“What-  _ oh _ . I panicked, okay? I was  _ dying- _ ”

 

“Kid, I’m messing with you.” Tony ruffled up the teenager’s hair, before hugging the kid tighter, if that was possible. “I’m glad you’re back.”

 

Smiling, Peter let himself sink into Tony’s embrace, confident that the man would  _ always  _ save him.

**Author's Note:**

> I went to OzComicCon today, it was amazing.  
> I cosplayed Rich Goranski.  
> I saw a Kylo Ren cosplay that was awesome but didn’t get a chance to have a photo with him, but I will next year.  
> Also saw a BATIM cosplay of my boy Sammy Lawrence, it was amazing and I loved it.  
> Best experience of my life, so many Spidey and Tony cosplayers.  
> Next year I’m going with a friend and I’m cosplaying Tony and she’s cosplaying Peter.  
> Also really sorry about the angst in this but also not.


End file.
